Part 3 (1/2)
”Where is Mademoiselle Bunny? Ah! that child will be the death of me. Jean, have you seen Meess Bunny anywhere about?” cried Sophie, just outside the stable door; and the little girl knew that her hour was come and that she was going to get a good scolding.
”Oh, Miss Bunny is in there, talking to Frisk, Mamzelle Sophie,”
answered the groom.
”Little naughty one! Ah, these English children are so dreadful!”
cried Sophie, and in a moment Bunny was dragged out from her seat on the straw and carried away to the nursery.
”Oh!” she screamed as soon as they were inside the door, ”what is that I see on your dress, mademoiselle? Blood, I declare! Oh, what will your mama say? She will send away that beast of a pony I am sure, and then you will not make such early walks to the stable.”
”Oh, Sophie, Sophie, don't tell! don't tell!” cried Bunny, ”Frisk did not mean to hurt me I am sure, and it's nearly well now. Look, it has stopped bleeding already, so don't tell mama, pray don't,”
and the little girl raised her eyes full of tears to the maid's face.
”Well, I won't tell if you will promise me never to slip out of your bed and away out of the house again as you have done just now.”
”Oh, I never will, I never will, Sophie!” cried Bunny, ”but do say you won't tell. I couldn't bear to see Frisk sent away.”
”Well, well, don't cry any more,” said Sophie good-naturedly. ”Be a good enfant, and I will say not anything about it.”
”Oh! you dear, darling Sophie, I'll be so good, so good!” cried the little girl, ”I'll be so good that you'll never have to scold me any more.”
”Ma foi, what a change that will be!” cried Sophie, ”if you get so good as all that I will send for the doctor.”
”For the doctor!” exclaimed Bunny in surprise. ”Why would you send for him?”
”Good gracious, mademoiselle, because I will surely think you are ill if you get to be an angel like that; but I am very certain I shall have to scold you many times before this evening comes.”
”Very likely, Sophie, but still I'm good now,” said Bunny with a merry little laugh, and as the maid gave the last touch to her hair, the last pull to her sash, she ran out of the nursery and away to her mama with whom she always had her breakfast.
Bunny was in a wild state of excitement all that day, and Sophie and Miss Kerr found it very hard to keep her in order and prevent her disturbing her mama, who was not well, and could not bear much noise.
”Oh, dear, how long the day is! How long the day is!” she cried over and over again. ”I don't think evening will ever come, Miss Kerr, I don't, indeed.”
”It will come fast enough, Bunny dear, if you will only have patience. Try and forget that you are expecting anything to happen.”
”I wish I could! I wish I could! But I do so wish to see what Mervyn is like.”
”You impatient little goose, do try and think of something else and time will go over much faster. But I tell you what, Bun,” said Miss Kerr, when they had finished their early dinner, ”we will go and take a good run on the sands and that will pa.s.s the afternoon very nicely for us.”
”But they might come when we are away, and that would be dreadful.”
”No, they won't, because they can't,” said Miss Kerr with a smile.
”The train does not come in until seven, and it is only three now, so you see we have plenty of time for a nice walk.”
[Ill.u.s.tration: Chapter decoration.]
CHAPTER IV.